Srinagar, Nov 4: Ghulam Ahmad Mir, who is in his mid-sixties, had a heart attack. While unconscious, he was sent to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) where he underwent surgery.
His family was concerned because the cost of his treatment exceeded Rs 1 lakh, but thanks to the SEHAT Health Insurance scheme, all costs were covered by the insurance provider as part of the programme.
“My surgery was performed without charge within two days of registration in a hospital,” Mir said.
Like Mir, many people have utilised the advantages of the golden cards to receive medical attention at reputable facilities without having to foot medical bills.
SEHAT scheme – free health insurance cover – in Jammu and Kashmir is proving to be a game-changer as over 7 lakh patients have received free treatment on which Rs 800 crore have been spent so far.
“Over 7 lakh people have been treated under the scheme in J&K till April for which payments amounting to Rs 800 crore have been disbursed to various hospitals across the country,” said a senior health official.
With this scheme, lakhs of poor people who cannot afford treatment at hospitals can now receive advanced treatment for their health conditions at all the empanelled hospitals across the country.
More than 76,52,064 people (78.74 percent) have enrolled under this programme, making them eligible for free, high-quality care in accredited hospitals around the country.
Official data shows that 22,51,116 (89.84 percent) of the 25,05,626 targeted families have at least one verified family member.
Notably, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) SEHAT initiative has reached 100 percent saturation in Shopian, Kulgam, and Ganderbal districts.
Due to the district administration’s ongoing efforts and special registration drives held by the State Health Agency (SHA) to enroll all families in the AB-PMJAY SEHAT programme, these districts have reached a significant milestone.
The AB PM-JAY SEHAT policy, which is the largest health insurance programme in the world and is entirely funded by the government, covers secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation costs for families up to Rs 5 lakh annually.
All inhabitants at accredited hospitals in J&K are covered under the AB PM-JAY SEHAT Scheme’s Rs 5 lakh per family per year health insurance benefit.
Up to three days of pre-hospitalisation and 15 days of post-hospitalisation costs including tests and medications are covered by the programme.
The J&K government launched SEHAT in convergence with Ayushman Bharat to extend free-of-cost and cashless health insurance to its nearly 1 crore residents, becoming the first union territory in India to bring all its population under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.